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McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has admitted that the recently concluded 2022 F1 Miami GP was a 'reality check' for the entire team.
The team looked to be on the rise after a disappointing start to the 2022 season in Bahrain. The Woking-based constructor felt it was over the hump after Lando Norris clinched P3 at the 2022 F1 Imola GP. Its collective performances in Miami proved this was not the case.
Following their first race without points this year since the Bahrain GP, Andreas Seidl shared his thoughts in an interview where the German said:
“We didn’t have the performance that we had at the previous two race weekends. It was all a reality check also [in terms of] where we are. This performance was clearly more in line with what we have seen in Bahrain, or also in Jeddah.”
Lando Norris was in with a shout to try and fight for points on raceday at the Miami International Autodrome. The Briton's race came to a premature end on lap 41 when he was clipped by AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly.
Seidl went on to add, saying:
“We knew, going into this race today, that there was only a chance to fight for, let’s say, a couple of points. Because [the] Mercedes cars [and Valtteri] Bottas [were] clearly quicker. But, unfortunately, we simply didn’t maximise everything [in the race].”
The British team currently sits P4 in the constructors' standings with 46 points from the first five rounds of the season.
"I think it just ended in a silly way" - McLaren's Lando Norris reflects on Miami GP crash with Pierre Gasly
McLaren driver Lando Norris felt Pierre Gasly should have got out of the way after causing a collision with the Briton during the 2022 F1 Miami GP.
Speaking in a post-race interview, Norris did not mince his words when recounting the incident on lap 41. He said:
“A shame. I think it just ended in a silly way. Someone just said he was on the radio saying he was going to retire or something, so if that is the case, then I think what he did was silly. If you’re going to retire, you just get out of the way of people racing. He was looking in his right mirror, he was drifting across the track.”
The 22-year-old went on to add, saying:
“Of course you could say maybe I could have left a bit more room, but I don’t expect him to just try and stay in the middle. A shame. We maybe could have scored an eighth place, ninth place, which is a couple of points, better than none. It would have been nice but it didn’t end that way. Frustrating, but not the end of the world.”
Norris will be hoping to bounce back at the upcoming 2022 F1 Spanish GP. Having been a long-term venue for pre-season testing, this race could see multiple teams, including McLaren, bring upgrades to their cars.
